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Sen. Isakson on 21st Century Act

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson

Special to the Courier

Updated:
Aug. 7, 2018, 5 p.m.

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a member of the Senate
committee that oversees education, issued the following statement Tuesday after
President Trump signed into law the bipartisan Strengthening Career and
Technical Education for the 21st Century Act:

“We have worked for years to ensure that our workforce is
competitive and our students are prepared for careers that will help them earn
a successful living. The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the
21st Century Act builds on the success of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act by reauthorizing the Perkins career and technical education
program and aligning education and workforce training programs together. President
Trump has made improving technical and career education a priority, and I’m
pleased that he’s signed this bill into law to give states and local school
districts more flexibility to meet the needs of their students by preparing
them for in-demand jobs and skills that will benefit them for life.”

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the
21st Century Act reauthorizes the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical
Education Improvement Act. It also better aligns our nation’s workforce
training system by coordinating with the improvements included in Isakson’s
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which was enacted in 2014.

In addition to helping reduce burdensome regulations on
states and local school systems, the legislation also ensures that compliance
requirements and decisions are made at the state and local levels, rather than
by the federal government.

Specifically, the Strengthening Career and Technical
Education for the 21st Century Act would:

Update the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act by
requiring that states and not the federal government set performance level
goals such as graduation rates, job placement and other indicators.

Allow the secretary of education to fund state and locally
designed initiatives to improve skills training through innovative methods.

Ensure that states and local career and technical education
programs collaborate with the business community and workforce development
boards so that education programs meet the needs of the local economy and
provide a skilled workforce to employers with high wage, in-demand jobs.